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Battle of the Golden Tooth
The Battle of the Golden Tooth was one of the largest battles during the many civil wars that took place within the Westerlands. The battle was fought between the Lannister Loyalists united under Lord Addam Lannister, the Kingslayers' only surviving child, and the Rebel Forces led by Lord Lyman Lefford. The Lannister Lord led his forces to a decisive victory, while also slaying Lord Lyman in single combat, ending the hostilities in the Westerlands, for a few years at least. Prelude When Jaime Lannister took up arms against Daenerys Targaryen during her invasion, trouble had already began brewing in the Westerlands. The Lannisters were no longer as strong as they once were, and were losing their foothold in the West, their legacy failing. This mostly came of the death of Tywin Lannister, and the incest between Queen Cersei and the Kingslayer himself. Ambitious Westerlander houses saw this as the best opportunity that they would ever be handed if they were to displace the Lannisters as Lord Paramount's of the Westerlands. Small outbreaks and civil wars were always raging as the young Lord Addam grew up, though nothing was fought on a massive scale. In hindsight, the reason for this was that the Rebel Houses were busy bolstering their forces as much as possible. Shortly after Addam came of age to rule without a regent, the Rebels took the opportunity to turn their cloaks and test their new lieges willpower. Led by Lord Lyman Lefford, the first major civil war in the Westerlands took place. Lefford himself was the man nominated to take over the reigns of the West, with his father being influential in the building up of the House's forces, their already strategic location, and the power that they possessed. They say that Lefford was a clever man, wise and astute, and also was a fine warrior in his own right. He seemed the ideal man to replace the faltering Lannisters, especially when considering the Lefford's already high wealth. Small battles were fought between the two sides, until Lord Addam Lannister, after many years of small scale skirmishes and no major deaths, said that enough was enough. He led his Lannister forces into the Golden Tooth, in what was labelled a stupid move. They were outnumbered, and the Golden Tooth was an excellent defensive position strategically. The Battle The Foothill Lord Addam split his forces in two, one moving in from the East, and the other from the West. This was a bold move; the Lannisters were already outnumbered, only having 17,000 men to their enemies 22,000. Despite this, the attack started off well. The attackers to the East began progressively taking the foothill, smashing the surprised Lefford forces and making them route backwards. The West side attackers found it more difficult, suffering hundreds of deaths as the soldiers got caught in a pass. The Lord of the Rock himself led the charge from the East side, and they say he killed twenty men himself as they crushed the rebel forces. The taking of the foothill proved extremely important, as when Lefford reinforcements rode up from the South, the Lannisters smashed them from the higher ground. Back on the West side, the soldiers were starting to become more comfortable, led by Ser Osmund Crakehall, the heir to the Crakehall lands and titles. A famed warrior in his own right, Ser Osmund was huge and truly without mercy. They say he wielded a warhammer twice his size, and he kncoked aside the Swyft men with consumate ease. Opening the Gates This is when Lord Lyman Lefford and Lord Beron Brax rode forth from the Keep of the Golden Tooth, thousands of men behind them. They took the Lannister forces from behind, smashing them at the top of the foothill and in the craggy pass to the West. Despite that, the battle was not lost. Lord Addam earned his title 'The Adept' on this day, and it was for very good reason. The Lord of the Rock proved himself a true Lion of Lannister, rallying his troops as they had begun to route, pushing them forward on the offensive once more as more Lefford, Swyft and Brax men swept over them, Over in the West, Ser Osmund Crakehall had slain Ser Terrence Swyft in single combat, lunging his sword through the Swyft heir's stomach, spilling his guts onto the bloody, grassy battlefield. This was to be in vain, as the Swyft heir's younger brother witnessed his brother's death and took up sword against the Crakehall, defeating him in turn. Ser Symon Swyft would end up becoming one of the finest warriors the West had ever seen, eventually siding with Lord Addam in future rebellions and proving a wise councillor towards the Young Lord Jaime, Lord Addam's son and heir, when he took control of the Rock after his father's death. Turning the Tide Back East, and the battle was swinging back towards Lannister favour. Lord Addam Lannister met Lord Lyman Lefford in single combat on the battlefield, and they say the battle raged on for longer than can be remembered. Eventually however, the Lefford succumbed to the Lion. They say Addam led with a counter riposte, slashing away Lord Lefford's arm, before biting his sword deep into his neck, and ending the Rebel Leader's life. This death had a different impact than the death of Ser Terrence Swyft. The Rebel forces began routing, unsure of what to do now that their Lord had died. It is said that the Lefford heir tried to reinvigor his troops, though he was an untested boy. The circumstance proved that Lord Addam was indeed the true ruler of the West, a true Lion, a true Lannister. Aftermath As the battle ceased, Lord Addam Lannister found himself walking through the open gates of the Keep of the Golden Tooth. The Brax's and the Swyft's had forced the Lefford heir to surrender. The boy was weak, but also clever, and he did as he was bid. This was when Lord Addam showed his ruling side. He decided to pardon Lord Beron Brax, though he took his second son and eldest daughter as wards, to ensure their future loyalty. This decision would in turn split the Brax forces onto two different sides in future conflicts, creating Kinslayers in their own right, as brother fought brother. Addam prevented his men from parading around with Lord Lefford's dead, decapitated corpse, choosing to bury him himself, admitting that even though the man was no true ruler for the West, he was brave, if not stupid. The Rebel forces had lost thousands; more than double the Lannister host. The fields around the Golden Tooth are said to still run red and wet with blood to this day, so much so was the devastation. Nonetheless, Lord Addam had proved himself a slick commander and warrior, showing mercy when it was warranted. The death of Ser Osmund Crakehall hit the West hard, and they say that his lover, the Lady Daena Yew, wept for 40 days and 40 nights on news of his death. The West had lost a true warrior, a true warrior, though they had also gained one as well. Lord Addam Lannister became 'The Adept', and became feared as a warrior and respected as a ruler throughout Westeros for his whole reign. This, however, didn't stop more civil wars from happening. The Lannister family was diminished, and weak from the civil war. Lady Daena Yew blamed Lord Addam for the death of Ser Osmund, and was hell bent on revenge. Despite that, it would be many years before the West would see large scale bloodshed again.